Dictate your calendar or your calendar will be dictated for you!

I cannot tell you how many good people are led by other people’s agenda.

They may have their priorities established (faith, family, fitness, work, hobby, etc.) but they have not fleshed them out on their calendars. So, when the boss, employees, or customers ask for time, they give it to them because NOTHING IS ON THEIR CALENDAR.  When you have placed your priorities (date night, kids ball game, vacation, conference, etc) on your calendar and someone wants that time, you simply say something like, “I am sorry, I already have that time slot filled, can we look at…”.  

Free Tip: Staples sells a one-year wall calendar, get one! 

Schedule as far out as possible on your calendar as you can (wife & kid’s birthdays, weekend getaways, volunteer work, anniversary, family vacations, etc.).  Know what is expected of you at work (from your supervisor) and plan those things accordingly (conferences, business trips, early morning or late night catch-ups, etc)  If you are like me with multiple departments to oversee, you will need a system to keep things in order.  COLOR CODE!  This is the only tool I know that allows me to gain perspective, plan with purpose, prepare for busy seasons and visualize deadlines.  To keep a balanced calendar, let your team see an entire year what has to be done. Let the team give input to help bring clarity and allows them to plan accordingly. This will allow everyone to visualize the peak times and the rest times.  You will need to schedule balance.

When you tell folks you are busy because you have already put your priorities on the calendar, what do you think“THEY” will think?  Let me tell you what they will say, “wow, they must be busy/sought after/a successful person”.

When you dictate your calendar, you can intentionally give yourself breathing room/margin and do this with full focus and preparation.  Are you tired of living a reactive life? Are you tired of letting others dictate your priorities/time? When you dictate your calendar, your productivity goes up, you see greater results and you start to live an intentional life, a life on purpose.